New Horizons
by Windpheonix
Summary: Being a human biotic is not easy, so how do you build up enough trust to follow someone into a war against a myth - against the most dangerous threat the universe has ever encountered?
1. Chapter 1

„That one is yours. "

Adams waved a hand in the direction of the bunk bed in the left corner of the room.

Kaidan sighed, setting down his duffle bag on his new bunk. The sheets were made so tightly that Kaidan thought he could bounce a credit chip off of it. He would have to remake it later.

Adams undressed and took his shaving kit.

"I will just grab a shower. Do you want to come grab something later?"

Adams, who had shown him around, flipped a towel over his shoulder and paused, expecting an answer.

Kaidan forced himself to smile. He did not feel comfortable with the situation, so it didn't end up as a thousand megawatt smile, but it was one.

"Sure, I will be here."

He wanted to add something, a joke about the mess, that always worked well to break the ice, but Adams left for the shower as soon as Kaidan had finished his first sentence.

"He was just a bit sweaty from the day."

Kadian said to himself. He tried to convince himself that the other man wasn't avoiding him, but ultimately failed.

It was just too similar to his last assignment. Everyone was friendly to his face, but always vanished the moment it was appropriate.

Everyone seemed to tip toe around biotics, constantly expecting an outbreak of the space magic, feared the loss of control. The people thought the further away they were from the biotic the safer they were.

Outward hostility was rare, but every time he overheard some sarcastic remark it hurt.

Command had its fair share of people whom Kaidan considered decent, and others… well, _jerks_. He'd been around the galaxy to know that every race had their saints and devils. Having _assholes_ in Command didn't come as surprise to him.

Kneeling down beside his bed, he reached under the frame and pulled out his storage unit. Opening it, he cradled his shirts carefully as he placed them on the mattress, careful not to crease the fabric.

It usually started pleasant enough; someone was showing the new guy around. He would introduce Kaidan to everyone and most importantly, show him the pleasantries of small shortcuts in between regulations.

You were a bit unsure, a bit socially awkward, but that was okay, that would be put down to being the new guy.

After placing his last shirt on the mattress, he turned around and leaned against the bunk. A sigh heaved from his chest. He was tired. It had been a long day, and trying to make new friends was never easier. Kaidan could feel another migraine coming on just thinking about it.

Bringing his fingers to his temple, he applied a bit of pressure to relieve the tension. L2 implants, a gift and a curse, though it was more of a curse with the unbearable headaches.

He didn't want to screw this up, but who was he kidding.

It would only take some time until someone would figure out what was different, if it wasn't already known from his files.

He would expect, just expect to hear some offhand commend, some passive aggressive remark and would keep listening to the sarcastic undertones in conversations. He would think and double think his words until he would seem hostile while he just wanted to say the damn right thing.

Kaidan took a deep breath. No time like now. He would keep trying. He was on a new ship, he had a new chance. He took a few last possessions out of his bag, then folded it down and waited for Adams. He did not make him wait for very long.

They went to the mess together, grey uniform walls slowly drifting by. Adams did most of the talking, as expected explaining all of the small things about the ship and crew that was not written down anywhere, but if it was it would be worth its weight in gold.

The lean man by Kaidans side did raise an eyebrow at the sight of the Kaidans portion but didn't say anything, instead he launched into a tale about how once they had found a bug in the stew. The tale existed in pretty much every kind of food distribution camp Kaidan had ever been in, but it was light heartedly told and he found himself relaxing more that he had in months, and suddenly going cold again as he remembered this might not take long.

The rest of the day had been equally strangely nice. Although Kaidan had to stop his habit of assuming that anything said to him was a back handed comment.

The rest had been a strangely easier than he thought it would be. Not that he was complaining, he found the change to be refreshing, but a little off-balancing as well.

* * *

**A.N.:**

So, hello to this little Mass Effect story and a huge thanks to Andrithir for making this way better than it was.

What can I say about this? I like Kaidan and I like whump stories, so here we are :)

I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you think.

I do not own Mass Effect and make no money with this piece of fiction.


	2. After Prime

Commander Shepard was, unique, Kadian decided. He leaned back, letting the hot water run over him. He changed his weight on sore feet and the drops splattered on his head, plastering his dark hair to his head. He sighed as he felt how the liquid carried away the suds.

With something akin to a groan he reached up with aching muscles, trying to scrub away every last reminder of Eden Prime and it's ashes, although he knew he was clean and had been for a while, but it still felt like the dirt was right there, right under his skin and now they knew.

He was still cold, still shivering, even though the skin on his fingers had gone soft and looked like shriveled prune. He felt detached and was just convincing himself that he should get something to eat as he heard the tell tale scratching of the door and a draft of cold air lazily swapped into the room.

Someone stepped into the cubicle next to Kaidan's and turned on the water; he could feel the water pressure decreasing and heard the person next to him leave out a bone weary sigh.

"Alenko, you there?"

"Yes." Kaidan got out. He didn't want to talk, no particular reason, his head was throbbing.

He just didn't want company, the ash colored sky wouldn't leave his mind, and to be true, what he had done kept raising it's ugly little head. Now it was out, now it was official, they knew everything.

When would it start?

'Damn it all Alenko. Buckle up and get yourself together. Everyone was fine before, they will be fine now.' He didn't say it out loud but did hiss it to himself over and over again while waiting for Adams to answer him.

And besides, it was tolerable as long as the commander had an eye on everyone and Kaidan trusted, wanted to trust, Shepard that he would keep everyone in control and even have a few words if things threatened to go too far; especially since that one moment.

"The Commander has Joker head to the Citadel. It will be a night out for a lot of us, figured you hadn't heard of it since you were in here. You want to come? We should be there in about eight hours."

He hadn't gotten such an invitation in ages. He was sure there would not be another, not after the Commander had seen what Kaidan could do. He was afraid.

He had been afraid on Prime as well.

_The husks screeched, coming close, way too close._

_"Commander, on your three." Ashley leaned out of cover, taking aim to her, to their left. She was good, but there was no time, they were too close. The husks closed in, coming way to close, swarming them from all sides._

_Kaidan made his decision. The ones to their right were his. A jolt jumped from the back of his head and shot down his right arm. A blue wave picked up the husks closest to his Commander and a thought slammed them into a boulder._

_An ugly crack sounded, even audible over the loud bang of Shepard's rifle. After that, it was action and reaction, no further conscious thought, right until the last of the alien creations lay still._

_"Whoa." The commander looked at the result of their fight. Kaidan fidgeted, he had had good vibes from him, but it was hard to judge people._

_"Nice Alenko, remind me to include that in training, it would be good to have a few more tactics handy."_

_Kaidan blinked behind his helmet. Remind Shepard to include biotics in on board training? On most ships biotics were mostly ignored, people too aware of the thin hull shielding them from the deadly nothingness of space, too aware of the little plug in the biotics head, the circuitry in their brains. They were too aware of the possibility of them going crazy and tearing a hole in the hull._

_Kaidan swallowed, only brought out a "Yes Sir," before Sheppard started moving._

A rap on the shower wall brought Kaidan out of his thoughts.

"Hey, you still there?"

Kaidan felt light headed, his neck had stiffened even though the hot water was running down its length and the soap Adams used seemed impossibly pungent.

Reality had hit him and he felt sick with anticipation. Now everybody would know, now the constant over his shoulder looking would not be paranoia, but necessity.

"Yes, I will… think about it." More like to give scuttle but a chance to rebuild the image of him, to give them a chance of carefully retract the offer.

"I think I feel something coming on." His neck was now really the worst thing in his body and his sense of smell had kicked into hyperdrive, never a good thing.

"Hope it clears up. Ashley made your biotics sound wicked, would be cool to hear something about it." Plus, he had to be hearing things.

Kaidan stubbed his toe on the door as he stepped out, reached for the towel to rub the drops of liquid from his skin.

"Yes, hopefully." He echoed, trying to realign what had just happened with what he had been expecting. Perhaps a little bit of sleep would put the world back into its hinges.

* * *

The sleep had done Kadian's aching muscles good, only his neck was still as stiff as it had been. A few deep muscle bruises would need a few days to clear up, even with medi gel, but that wasn't what was on Kaidan's mind. His bunkmate was already up, rifling through the clothes, trying to choose something fitting.

"So are you coming?" There was no prolonged eye contact, no staring away, no awkward body language. Adams sounded chipper, really looking forward to the drinks and the company, no fake smiles, just a normal over his shoulder.

Kaidan rubbed sleep from his eyes. He felt worse than he had before he had gone to sleep. His head was throbbing, a certain tightness behind his eyes and temples that seemed to spread out from his neck.

He watched Adams as he picked up a shirt and pulled it over his head. The other men picked a shirt and scrutinized it, then discarded in favor of another, all the while talking about some bar in the lower levels that had opened on the lower levels. He sounded genuinely excited, like he was genuinely looking forward to it.

It had been a while since someone had sounded like he had wanted to take a drink with one of the 'circuit heads'.

Kaidan shook his head very slowly. The Normandy seemed different.

Sheppard most certainly was different.

It had been long enough for talk to circle around. He was invited; he was given a hand, now it was his turn to take it.

"I will tag along."

Adams grinned. "Great, look you got to try the club drink, I hear it is great."

Just then Kaidan's omni-tool flared to life, Commander Sheppard commanding his presence on the forward airlock.

"Sorry, I will call and check in if you are still there later."

"Well damn." Adams swore. "All right, see you later."

* * *

Hours later Kaidan found himself in the council chamber, rubbing a hand over his temple, hoping to alleviate the pressure in his scull.

The sound of people talking was a quiet background noise, not aggravating his ears and the dimmed light was a soothing to his vision.

His headache had not improved during the search for the Quarian, Tali he reminded himself and the ensuring firefight. Thankfully the council chambers were quiet; he felt better.

Kaidan put two fingers against his temple, rubbing the skin there slightly. It felt better when he was applying a little pressure.

A heavy hand settled on his shoulder.

"You want to sit this one out Kaidan?"

His Commander peered into Kaidan's brown eyes.

"You did enough today, take a stroll back to the Normandy or take a drink. I will see you later."

And with that he gave Kadian's shoulder a pat before taking long, even strides towards the steps leading to the council.

Garrus had taken Kadian's place to Sheppard's right. For one small moment he felt a jab of pain at this, of the Turrian having his commander's back, but Kadian shook his head. His neck protested, but he reminded himself that Garrus was not Vyrrnus.

He followed the small group with his eyes and allowed himself a smile. Actually, being the young, brash and thoughtless young 'man' he was, Garrus he appeared to be Vyrrnus polar opposite.

As Kaidan turned towards the exit he debated whether or not he should take Adams' up on his offer to go the Flux with him. He didn't feel like it, but just as he left the cool chambers and turned to the fast transport system his omni tool flashed. Kaidan skimmed over the message and found himself smiling.

Adam had just send the message to tell Kaidan that they were still at the club and he was welcome to join them.

Throwing his apprehension in the wind; riding the high of having proof of Saren's guilt in form of Tali's message, Kaidan aimed his steps towards the Flux.

Perhaps his headache was just that. It felt better already from the short stay in the council chambers, so he hoped continue to improve as he took the elevator down to the entertainment district.

The closer he got to the club, the denser the crowd grew. People were excitedly chatting, office hours had ended and everyone was free to do as they pleased.

When he did enter the club, the music, before dampened by the doors, hit him and the flashing lights of the dance floor burned themselves into his retina.

He froze, trying not to stumble. Just then someone grabbed him by his elbow and dragged him to the bar, just a few steps further. Kaidan bumped against a stool and encouraged by Adams, took a seat.

He pressed a glass into Kaidan's hands and raised his own.

"Cheers Kadian! You did a great job there."

Kaidan wanted to know for what, for Eden Prime, he didn't deserve praise for that, or finding Tali, but Adams couldn't know about that. Kaidan found himself rambling in his own mind and took a gulp of the liquid. He nearly spilled the rest coughing.

Sharp liquor burned its way down his throat. Adams laughed well naturedly. He seemed to have used the time he had spend in the Flux well, as he was bend over, leaning on the bar, shoulders quivering with laugher. He was quite tipsy.

It was not that funny Kaidan wanted to say, but didn't want to aggravate his head by shouting over the deep bass of the music. His head was just beginning to stop feeling like it wanted to jump off of his shoulders, he hoped he would get used to the noise level.

So instead of answering, he took another, more careful swallow.

"Just surprised," he mouthed over the music.

The noise level was better but still too high. The person behind him erupted in loud, rambunctious laughter and Kadian sank forward. No, he would not get used to it he decided, as his implant send spikes of pain into his head.

"This was not a good idea."

He slipped of the seat. He waived Adams aside. He leaned close and said as loudly as he dared:

"I don't feel well. It's been a long day and I need some rest. Sorry about that."

"Sure, you don't look so great, if I may say that." He looked sincere, if a bit unsteady, but willing to get Kaidan back to the ship if he needed the help.

Adams nodded and pointed towards the door, emphasizing his words.

A very careful vertical shake of his head answered Adams' question.

Bad idea, Kaidan decided as he could feel the floor moving. He grabbed the stool he had just slid off and tried to breathe through the vertigo. He felt worse by the minute. The music changed, a deep bass that vibrated in Kaidans chest and caused him to stumble.

_Out_

Was the only thing his brain would supply, but as he reached outside the people were rushing by, laughing loudly. He stepped away from the entrance of the flux and reached for the wall, tried to stay out of the flow of the mass of beings and leaned on it for support. The music was still audible, dampened, all he could hear was the deep bass and an occasional part of the melody.

He felt a bit better, the air was cooler outside the club, but he was disoriented, his vision flashed, was only half there at moments.

Not far ahead there was an alley, dark and empty, perfect to pull himself together to walk back to the Normandy.

He stayed close to the wall and straightened, trying to keep his steps steady as he walked over to it, trying not to attract attention.

It was dark in there and Kaidan leaned his forehead against the wall, bracing his weight against the metal and took a deep breath.

_Better_ he felt a lot better already. Not long and he could make his way back to the Normandy, strip off his armor, curl up in a bunk and ride this out in the quiet off his quarters.

He didn't hear his attacker coming; he didn't expect the blow to the back of his head that send him to the ground.

* * *

**A.N.:**

So, second chapter and oh boy, I am so looking forward to the next chapter :)

A huge thanks to my amazing beta reader Andrithir without this chapter wouldn't be half as good as it is.

Please tell me what you think, good, bad, what could/should be different?


	3. Missing

Of course a lieutenant of the alliance could not vanish without it being noticed.

First thing the next morning Shepard grilled Adams about his meeting with Lieutenant Alenko. He seemed to lose his cool. They had green light, could finally go ahead to hunt down the Spectre and now they couldn't because someone of his team was missing.

Garrus leaning against the right hand side of the room watched the happening. It was highly interesting to see how humans handled situations like this. He had not had much experience working with the specie and most certainly hadn't been in a strictly human command structure.

"What do you mean you don't know where he went? You were with him last. Didn't he at least say something?"

The commander was extremely tense. He wanted to finally go, find out what Saren was planning and now he couldn't.

Adams paled, not only because of Shepard's tone but also because of his volume. It did not seem like he had recovered from the night before.

"I mean Sir, that he left the bar nearly immediately after he arrived. He declined having someone accompany him back."

Shepard closed his eyes, fingers closing tightly around the cup of coffee he was holding and released Jenkins with a court nod.

"Alright. Should something come up, don't hesitate to tell me."

"Yes Sir."

A crisp salute was followed by Adams turning on the spot and leaving the room, visibly relieved to be out of his Commanders presence.

Garrus spoke up. Something tickled his memory.

"I might have a way of speeding things up a little."

"Really?" There was not much trust coloring the humans voice. He then realized that he had just snapped at Garrus.

"I'm sorry. Perhaps this is over-reacting, but we are pursuing a rogue Spectre and Kaidan is not someone to _just leave_ like this."

Garrus pushed himself away from the wall and stepped forward; imitating the gesture he had seen humans do many times. He laid a hand on Shepard's shoulder. He hoped it was the correct action, Turian communicated a lot more through their sub vocals and humans were such a tactile race that hiccups in the social interaction were bound to happen.

It seemed that he had chosen the correct timing as Shepard relaxed at the contact.

"C-Sec has information on most of the criminal activity on the Citadel. We now the most likely way Alenko took from the Flux back to the Normandy. When something happened in the area we might have a lead."

After short consideration Sheppard nodded.

"Good idea Garrus. Thank you. I have sent a request to C-Sec, but if you could look into it things might go faster. I also would be more comfortable with that."

After a moment of consideration the commander smiled.

"Keep your eyes open for any activity, not just the big things. Knowing Alenko he would see someone in trouble and do a brave knight impression and helping him."

As Garrus turned to leave Shepard sat down his mug and followed him.

"I have nothing to do here but stand around and wait. Ashley and I will come down with you."

Garrus could not complain. He of all people knew how much just sitting around and doing nothing could get on a Turian's nerves.

While they were in the elevator Shepard kept an ear on the radio station in the vain hope to hear something, but nothing of interest came up.

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator and into the C-Sec area Garrus caught sight of another Turrian.

"That is my man. Wait here for me."

Shepard watched Garrus zero in on his colleague and take him aside.

"His _friend_ doesn't seem very happy."

Ashley shifted her weight to one foot, crossing her arms and smirked.

Shepard knew Ashley had more layers to her than the one of the loud mouthed, smart assed marine, but in moments like this it was hard to believe.

Although he had to admit, she seemed to be right. Garrus colleague didn't seem to be very happy to see him. He stayed away from Garrus, leaning backwards as the other Turian started to gesticulate.

"Quiet Ashley, we don't want to jinx anything."

The two Turians continued to talk in hushed voices, and then Garrus said something with a lot of empathy and motioned towards Shepard.

Finally, the other Turian relented and motioned for Garrus to follow him.

"Finally. I thought they would never go."

Ashley sighed and shifted impatiently from one foot to another, unusually fidgety, as if she was unable to keep neither her body nor her mind still.

When she continuously turned to him and then away again Shepard broke the ice:

"Something on your mind?"

"Respectfully Sir, what are we doing here? C-Sec could look for the LT. We have a rogue Spectre to catch. Why bother looking for him?"

She met his eyes, was standing tall and awaiting his answer. Now that her question was being addressed there was no trace of her earlier uneasiness.

"What if he has just gone mental? We know that happens; he is an L2. He could be anywhere right now. We are wasting time and should get to Therum before something happens to Benezia's daughter."

Layers Shepard thought.

This did not meet up with what he had seen of her so far. Had the loss of her friends on Prime hurt her this much? He didn't know and he would not assume things. People had done that after the thrasher maws and sometimes they trying to step around imaginary mines had hurt more than what had happened.

He turned to her and gave her his full attention.

"Because Ashley, we are fighting a rogue specter and because this might very well be one of his traps and because," he stepped closer to her, "because Kadian is one of our team, because he was unwell yesterday and because as much as people assume the Citadel is safe there are enough beings out there who carry a grudge against humans."

Many had a very good reason to do so.

He stepped forward, crossing into her personal space, giving emphasis to his next words. She didn't back away, merely tilted her head to look up to him; was standing strong.

"We are looking for him because I am not sure how much Saren knows and I may be paranoid, but I will not risk Alenko being in Saren's grasp and not do something about it. He is one of us and I do not leave one of my men behind."

Ashley looked up to meet his stern face and gave him a court nod.

"Yes Sir, good Sir."

She then stepped back, giving Shepard the space he had just claimed.

"Pardon?"

Shepard couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"Did you just approve my words?"

Ashley smirked.

"Yes Sir. Enough people would declare him mental, just ditch him. They would say that his L2 implant is enough proof that he has gone mental, gone off the deep end."  
Now she looked away, shoulders slinking forward a bit.

"I don't like people being judged by circumstances they have no control over."

_Like a family name_ was left hanging between them.

Shepard smiled, laying a warm hand on her shoulder. His earlier worries had been unfounded. She was as fine as she could be.

"You know I won't do that."

"You said so Sir."

Ashley didn't smile in return, but stood straighter, seemed more at ease.

They spend the rest of the wait side by side in comfortable silence, watching the crowd flow by.

Garrus did take some time, but after the second round coffee, Shepard had paid for both, he did show up.

He returned waiving a data pad in his talons, proud of his accomplishment, but at the same time uneasy. That more than anything convinced the commander that the Turian had found something.

"Jackpot." Garrus stated.

He hesitated and came to a halt in front of Shepard.

"Isn't that what you humans say?"

"Garrus" Shepard knew he was rather short, more than he would normally be, but he had spent enough time standing around doing nothing.

"What do you have?"

Shepard saw Garrus' mandibles twitch. The Turian was appalled by something.

"Batarians. It is rare to see them here, but these two; they are brothers who have been cleared by C-Sec. They have been living in the Citadel for a while now."

Shepard took the data pad Garrus carried and flipped through the files.

"They went through some considerable trouble to come here. The Batarians as a race had a rather spectacular fallout with the council."

He could remember so much from his history lesson about the council and the different races.

He scrolled further through the files, brow furrowing.

"But, what is the problem with them? Batarians have a lot of rather nasty characters but what makes these two our immediate subject?"

Garrus laughed, strange sub-harmonics chiming in Shepard's translator.

"My friend pointed them out because they are suspected of being involved in the slavery business."

"Pardon? Then what are they doing here? What if they plan something?"

Ashley peered over Shepard's shoulder. He angled the pad so that she could read as well.

"Well, they are clean, but friends and extended families aren't."

Garrus explained and reached for the pad.

He opened a few files, overlapping them on the screen. Shepard had to squint in order to read them on the small screen.

"C-Sec is waiting for them to move. There have been signs for people being trafficked though the Citadel and nobody wants that here. Vanguo, the officer leading this case, hopes to get the whole group when they move."

Garrus watched Sheppard reading the files he had opened. His blue marked face seemed unusually uneasy, especially since he had just brought them their only clue to what had happened to Kaidan. Normally, he would smirk and and make a few proud comments. This behavior was not ordinary, but Shepard decided to let it slip. Garrus was not too good at keeping his thoughts a secret and would say what he thought soon.

"One of the few concrete cases, but Vanguo can't move until he has proven that they are involved in the slave business."

Shepard nodded, deciphering the protocols.

"We have nothing specific and although we have a common time and a possible goal my Vanguo was not pleased."

Garrus mandibles twitched.

_Aha _Sheppard thought. The Turian was coming forward with his worries. He looked up from the pad and gave Garrus his full attention.

"There is more to this isn't it?"

Shepard raised an eyebrow.

"Yes sir, there is. Officer Vanguo didn't wish me to be involved in the case. He _only_ gave me the information after I gave him your credentials. I said you investigated the case as a Spectre and that one of your men is involved."

Garrus mandibles lay close to his jaws.

"I understand. Let me take an educated guess. He still doesn't want us involved."

Shepard sighed. This was just his luck. If he wanted to find out what had happened to Kaidan he would have to jump into a long- term mission and if he was wrong and the Batarians had nothing to do with Kaidan there were two possibilities.

He would either traumatize two civilians, which were trying to get away from their dark past, or would disturb an important operation, namely, disrupting the slave trade in this quadrant.

"Correct Shepard. You are a Spectre, so if you say it concerns your investigations he will not stop you, but if we act and cause him to lose his case he will do his best to cause trouble for us."

Garrus paused, waiting tensely for Shepard's reaction.

The human met his gaze, studying the Turrian for a moment.

"Is this the only link you could fins Garrus?"

He asked, maintaining full eye contact with the Turian. He wasn't certain whether or not if it had the same meaning in Garrus' specie as it had in his, but he felt better, feeling like the answer would be more sincere.

"Yes Shepard. It is the only plausible scenario."

There was no pause, no hesitation. The answer came straight from the heart.

For Shepard it wasn't much of a decision anymore. He knew what the Batarians did with their slaves. If Kaidan had been captured by them, they had to at quickly.

"Then we will go."

* * *

'He will come' Kaidan told himself.

He shivered, had it gotten colder? The climate control came to life and blasted wave after wave of cold into the room.

It had and now the damned thing was working on cooling the room down again.

They would come. Kaidan forced himself to take deep breath of the cool, metallic air. Commander Shepard would come.

The door opened, a brief flash of light appeared as the door to the room was opened and steps echoed from the empty walls. Kaidan couldn't see much, had tried to look into the next room and had been blinded by the light.

Nevertheless he could still hear the person being with him in the room. It sounded very small, perhaps not even a real room, perhaps more a storage place. Kaidan curled up tight, trying to find purchase; his knees ached.

Hands grabbed his head, pulling his hair, forcing him to his side.

Kaidan hissed and jerked up, attempting to head butt his captor or pushed him over, anything really to not feel so damn useless.

His bound feet slipped, plasteel bit in sore wrists. His captor pushed him to the ground ; a kick drove the air out of Kaidan's lungs, leaving him gasping and wheezing for air. Normally he would have his captor on the floor in just a thought, but now he was all around miserable. His head pounded, the tightness spreading out in waves from his implant. His arms ached from the position they were forced into.

The being stood above him and, Kaidan blinked tried to see. It was a Batarian and he was filming him or taking pictures.

Kaidan squirmed to his feet, refused to stay down, not willing to just lie there, but another well placed kick send him back to the cold, hard ground.

Whoever it was laughed shortly, more a dirty snort, and left without saying anything. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Kaidan on the ground alone in the dark.

He tried to get up again. The floor was cold and although the pounding in his head welcomed the cool touch he knew the fewer points of contact he had the longer he would stay warm, but he was so starting to feel tired.

What did they want and when would his team come?

Kadian paused, _when_, he smiled and closed his eyes against the dark.

He knew they would come for him, was sure of it because his biotics aside he knew Shepard would not leave him hanging. He didn't know where he took the security from, the moment on Eden Prime when Sheppard would rather include him in training than restrain him; the moment the Commander would rather send him to recuperate than have him stand by his side?

He didn't know, but at the same time he knew that Shepard would come.

* * *

**A.N.:**

So, here is the next chapter, i swear the action will come in the next one (really).

I love to hear what you think, please drop me a line or two, just what works/doesn't work, it really helps to improve my writing.


	4. Chapter 4

„Then we will go. We don't have to charge in, we can knock first. We can just knock and ask nicely."

Sheppard decided. He would not leave Kaidan in the hands of Batarians for one moment longer than necessary, no matter how small the chance was that they were guilt, he wouldn't take it.

Their pace quick, people moved aside for the trio as they made their way towards their destination.

Sheppard flagged down a shuttle. As they climbed into the back, tinted windows were filtering out the flashing city light.

"You think he is there?"

Ashley asked.

"I don't know Ashley. I hope he is and I hope he isn't"

Because if he was there he was in trouble, Kaidan would not go down without a fight, but if he wasn't they had to face the chance that a mere headache had preceded something worse.

Although they were not looking for a firefight in the Citadel, not another one after Choras den, Ashley ran a court check on her guns.

Sheppard watched her as they sat in the back of a shuttle. He saw her slow down her breathing, movements becoming calm and confident.

He took his rifle from his back and checked the munitions level. It was a short flight, but enough to reassure themselves that everything they could control was in order.

The apartment was located at the end of long, narrow hallway.

Their steps echoed of the bare walls.

"Comfortable."

Ashley muttered.

It was on the lower end of the price scale, not quiet dingy, but there were a few light bulbs missing, casting the dead end of the hall in shadows.

"Which number was it again Garrus?"

Sheppard asked, unconsciously reaching for the Heckler on his back. He did not like the setting. Something was off and he didn't know what.

"501 Sheppard."

The Turian answered. His long talons opened and closed, ghosting close to his gun.

As lady luck would have it just as they neared the apartment somebody was leaving it.

"Hey, alliance here. Can we talk to you?"

Sheppard stepped forward, raised a hand and waved to attract the Batarians attention.

The alien froze, eyes widening. He stepped backwards, back into the doorway.

Sheppard saw a flash of dark grey; simultaneously Ashley shouted. "He's armed, watch out!"

The hallway was bare, no cover.

Sheppard dropped to one knee, pressed himself close to the wall.

Garrus was behind him, Ashley one the other side of the hall, opposite to the apartment door.

She took aim.

"Ashley, fall back," Sheppard yelled.

She had a better angle, but much more likely to be shot in return.

The Batarian screamed, falling to the floor. Ashley skittered over to Sheppard, crashing into the wall in front of him.

"Think I got him."

She was out of breath, adrenalin running high.

The hall was silent, the Batarian was one the floor, writhing in pain. He had fallen forward, out of the room.

"Stay on the floor, push the gun away from you and keep your hands on the floor."

Sheppard stood up slowly, gun raised.

The Batarian groaned and weakly pushed the gun away from him. One of them had hit him in the shoulder. Sheppards heart was pounding, he wasn't certain who's shot had gotten in, but it didn't really matter.

"Dominant arm the way he is acting."

Garrus observed while he was slowly inching forward, he too, had his weapon in front of him.

"Hey you. Someone else in there?"

Ashley asked. The alien didn't answer. He just lay on the floor, a hand clamped over the entrance wound.

"Hey!" She barked. "I asked you something."

"No. My brother is by the docks. I'm alone."

The Batarian whimpered, curling up to protect his injured appendix. He was a pitiful sight, but Sheppard couldn't act on that.

He stepped forward, took the Batarians uninjured shoulder and dragged him away from the door.

"Garrus, you call C–Sec and tell them about the firefight."

He took a look at the injured being and sighed.

"Call for medical assistance. I'm guessing that he attacking us without provocation is enough reason for us to go in there."

Garrus nodded. "That would be correct Sheppard. Good luck." He added.

"Wiliams, you are with me." The commander ordered.

"Do we believe him that the apartment is empty?"

Ashley asked. She gripped her Heckler tightly, tense. Clearing a potentially hostile room was something that could end very, very badly.

"Of course not."

The commander answered. The Batarian had opened fire, in a civilian area and that meant for him that anything could be behind that door. He sure as hell wasn't about to believe the alien.

He jumped across the space of the open door and pressed his left shoulder to the rough wall. Ashley took position on the opposite side of the frame.

He counted down slowly. "Three, two, one" pause "Entrance."

"Stand down! On the floor!"

Go in fast, go in loud.

They rushed forward, guns raised. Adrenalin slowed the time to a crawl, everything going too slowly as they rushed through the door, checking every inch of the room.

Sheppard's gun and line of sight waved over a ratty couch on the right hand side with a heap of blankets piled on it. The stove and kitchen counter on the opposite wall were cluttered with dirty dishes.

But it seemed the Batarian had said the truth, the apartment was empty.

"Two more doors."

Ashley said. There were two more, opposite from where they had entered.

"Left one first."

Sheppard ordered, keeping it short. He kept his Heckler raised and edged along the wall, shoulder armor scraping off the paint. The commander was glad for the carpeted floor as it kept their heavy boots from making noise.

If there was someone in the rooms, they wouldn't know what he was doing until he did it.

This time, Ashley stayed behind; kneeling behind what little shielding the couch would give her.

Her weapon was propped up on the cushions; she kept an eye on both doors.

He looked over his shoulder, reassuring himself that she was there, that she was ready.

One nod from his fellow soldier was all that it took.

Sheppard lunged forward, a kick send the door spinning on its hinges, crashing into the wall.

The small wet room was dark and empty. The sound of the faucet dripping entered unnaturally loud in Sheppard's ears.

"Nothing."

The commander felt his palms sweating. One more room left. If Kaidan wasn't in there, he could be anywhere. The headache he had had yesterday could have been the sign for something much worse.

If Kaidan was in there, who knew what had happened to him.

"One more."

A cooling unit came to life with a loud rattling.

Again, same game. Steer clear of the door, wait for your partner. This time Ashley was behind him, as the rest of the apartment was clear.

Sheppard leaned forward and pushed the handle, a rarity on the Citadel. It opened.

The door felt heavy, seemingly insulated.

Kick the door open, rush in, yell "freeze" and freeze yourself.

Sheppard didn't want to believe what he was seeing.

"Lights, find them."

He said, voice rough with emotion.

The room was barren, really barren of everything.

Ashley lowered her Heckler and felt along the wall until she found the light switch. A naked light bulb cast the room into a harsh, cold light.

They had found him.

Kaidan lay on the floor; he had tried to curl up and conserve body heat, but hadn't quite managed. His hands were bound behind his back and his lips were blue. He had a waxy complexion, way too pale for a healthy young man.

"No blood. That's good."

Sheppard clipped the gun to his back and knelt down. He stripped off his gloves and pressed two fingers to Kaidan's neck.

His skin was as cold as it looked.

Ashley knelt down on Kaidan's other side. She started to work on the ropes.

"How is he chief?"

She asked, eyes downcast, trying to see as few things as possible.

Sheppard held his breath.

"Pulse is faint but there."

He gently tapped Kaidans cheek. The Batarians had stripped him down to sleeveless shirt and boxers, trying to keep him cold and inactive. The migraine must have done its part of the job to further incapacitate him.

Ashley freed Kaidans arms and gently moved him to his back. The dark haired man groaned, whimpered even, as stiffened up muscles were forced to move.

Sheppard laid his hands on bare shoulders and pressed down slightly, hoping that the warmth would help. He didn't dare rubbing the extremities. It could cause the cold blood to get to the heart too quickly. The warming up had to happen slowly.

"Come on Alenko. Wake up."

Sheppard didn't dare raise his voice. Even the murmured words echoed off of the empty walls, somehow disturbing the fragile moment.

Kaidan groaned, coughed and blinked sluggishly.

"Commander? I, did Fist? Have to; Quarrian."

His speaking was slow, he sounded almost drunk. He tried to get up, but couldn't get his arms beneath him.

Sheppard changed his grip on Kaidans shoulder and tried to steady him. He inched closer and pressed his knee between Kaidans shoulder blades, helping him in a more upright position.

Ashley shook her head. "We have to get him warm. Help me get him into the other room."

She took Kaidan by the knees as Sheppard grabbed him under the arms. Together they hauled their comrade out of the freezing room and gently deposited him on the carpet.

Garrus had dragged the Batarian inside and shut the doors as to avoid speculators. Now he paused his actions, unsure what to do. Human physiology was way too different from a Turians as that his medical knowledge would have done any good.

"Something I can do? C-Sec is on the way, our 'friend' is stable."

Sheppard barely looked up from his actions.

"Try to organize some hot drinks and blankets. I don't want to disturb the scene more than we have to. Nothing with caffeine, nothing with alcohol, tea or clear broth would be perfect."

With one suspect likely on the run C-Sec would be difficult enough to deal with, no need to add messing with the crime scene to the list.

"I'm going to ask one of the neighbors. They are peering through their doors anyway. I already called Joker; he said Chakwas is prepping medbay and that a team is coming to pick you up."

"Beautiful." Ashley breathed. "Thank god for something going right."

With that Garrus turned and jogged out of the room, glad to have something to do.

They needed to get Kadian warm, but from the inside out. Too much cold blood at once could lead the system into a shock.

Sheppard tore the medical kit off of his belt. The foil blanket crackled as he unfolded it and covered Kaidan's body with it.

"Come on Alenko, start shivering already. You need to warm up."

Brown eyes opened and Kaidan looked around. He seemed slightly more aware.

"Commander? Where are we?"

He tried to get up again, but Sheppard pushed him down again with a flat hand on his chest. He imagined that even through the insulation he could feel the unnatural coldness of Kaidans body.

"Stay down Alenko. Everything is alright."

He leaned over his downed friend and tapped his cheek as Kaidans eyes drifted shut.

"How do you feel? Come on, stay with me."

Kaidan licked his lips.

"Numb, mostly. It doesn't hurt, not anymore. What happened?"

Sheppard took Kaidans hands out from under the blanket. The tissue was soft, pale with coldness, but when he pressed them, the blood flowed out of the tissue, paling the flesh even further.

Sheppard carefully laid the hands back on Kaidans chest and scooted over the rough carpet to his feet.

"How is it Commander?"

Ashley had put her hand on Kaidans shoulder, filling him in on what he had missed with a soft voice.

"So far, so good. There is no sign of tissue damage. It all looks good."

He sat down next to Kaidans head and laid an ungloved hand on his free shoulder, giving him support. They stayed like that for a moment, close together, sharing the occasional joke about the mess food when Kaidan threatened to drift off.

Garrus opened the door together with the C-Sec team that arrived and swarmed the room to document the scene.

Garrus kneeled down, trying to stay out of the way of the officers that filmed the room, and handed Sheppard a gently steaming cup.

"There, broth. I got it from one of the neighbors."

Ashley took the offered blanket and spread it over Kaidan, insulating him further.

Together, they pulled Kaidan into a sitting position and Sheppard moved behind him, putting the rim to blue lips.

"Drink Alenko. We need you to warm up."

It was not very hot, but it seemed it was the limit of what Kaidan could take.

He coughed, waking up more and more as he was fed the liquid.

"Break." He mumbled. "Feel like I burned my tongue."

"Alright." His commander agreed. Kaidan had nearly had the whole cup already and now that C-Sec was at the scene they could get Kaidan to the Normandy, to Dr. Chakwas and real, professional help.

"So, I see they did have him. Where is the second suspect?"

A large Turian, towering even over Garrus placed himself next to Sheppard and looked down at the scene that presented him.

"You have this Ashley?"

Sheppard asked.

"Yes Sir, can't be long until we evac gets here and we can bring him to the Normandy."

The Turian coughed, politely redirecting the conversation.

"I assume that I will be able to question Lieutenant Alenko will be questioned later. Am I correct Commander Sheppard?"

The human looked at the C-Sec officer and nodded.

"Of course. Officer Vanguo, I assume?"

"That is correct."

The Turian was stiff, he reminded Sheppard of the Turian council member, although his attitude seemed to stem less from hostility and more from a by the book approach to the situation.

"I fear, Officer Vanguo that we are under some pressure regarding time. I am aware, that this is not official procedure, but we cannot afford to wait for Lieutenant Alenko to recover before we depart.

Would it be possible for his statement to be given via transmission?"

Vanguo rubbed a talon over his right mandible.

"There is nothing I desire less than to stand in the way of a Spectre Commander Sheppard. It would be possible, if you return to repeat the complete questioning later in person. All of the involved people."

Sheppard nodded and gave Vanguo his hand to seal the deal, which the Turian accepted after a moment of consideration. This was the moment the team from the Normandy came into the apartment, crowding the room even further.

They transferred Kaidan onto a stretcher and snapped the bindings over the blankets, Sheppard made a mental note to have the second one returned to its owner later.

Then, he allowed himself a deep breath and losed his eyes for a moment.

Something heavy settled on his shoulder. He could barely feel it through the armor, but it was there.

He opened his eyes again and saw Ashley standing to his right.

"Everything alright Commander?"

She asked.

"Yes." He nodded. "Finally. We got him, he is going to be alright and we can finally go find Benezias daughter."


	5. Chapter 5

When Kaidan woke up it was to aching muscles and warmth. He moved, sliding further down the cover and closer to the heat source on his stomach.

A deep breath carried the smell of antiseptic and fresh linen.

"Now there Alenko, time to wake up again."

A motherly hand was rested on his shoulder and nudged him slightly.

Kaidan opened his eyes, the lights of med bay had been dimmed for the night cycle on the ship.

Dr. Chackwas stood next to his bed, smiling and happy to see him.

"Hello there. Good to see you are awake. Can you tell me where you are and what happened?"

She pulled the data pad out from under her arm and tapped it with her stylus to be certain it worked.

Kaidan noticed that while she pulled up a chair and settled down next to him, she made sure to stay in his direct line of sight and that everything she did was visible to him.

He was glad about it, was glad about the dimmed lights. Nothing had happened in that cold dark room to him, but it still had him shaking inside, nervous.

The door to med bay opened and he jumped, pushing himself up to his elbows. The light behind it was even darker then in this room and the door was automatic, not mechanic.

The person coming through the door was not some strange alien, but Sheppard.

"Commander, it's good to see you."

He smiled, vaguely remembering someone next to him, a strong, calm voice and warm hands that grounded him even as his body was too cold to shiver.

His Commander smiled back, lines around his eyes softening as he stopped next to Kaidans bed put a hand on Kaidans arm.

"Good to see you up, but I think Dr. Chackwas here would be happier if you would lie back down."

He then helped the doctor to crank up Kaidans bed by a few degrees so that he wasn't flat on his back anymore.

The biotic embarrassedly nodded his thanks to them, cleared his throat and turned to the silver haired woman to answer her question.

"I don't know much anymore Dr. Chakwas. I was not feeling well when Commander Sheppard dismissed me in the council chambers. I should have gone back to the Normandy, but Adams had asked me to take a few drinks with him and other crewmembers."

Both the doctor nodded and as Kaidan looked over to his other side his commander motioned for him to go on.

"I had not had the chance to go out in a time and it sounded like a good opportunity to make a few friendships, so I went along."After I arrived my L2 implant acted up, so I left quickly and rested in some alley close to the Flux."

He paused again, pulled a hand out from under the blankets piled on top of him to rub through his hair. This part really did not sit well with him.

"He got me by surprise, knocked me down from behind, I think."

"They." Sheppard said. He had leaned forward, was resting his elbows on his knees, fingers intertwined in thought as he listened.

"Pardon?"

Kaidan didn't quite understand. He had only seen one person.

"There were two of them. Batarians."

Sheppards blue eyes went dark with some emotion, lines in his face deepening. He was displeased by something.

"But why?"

Kaidan shifted again, brow furrowing. "Why me?"

Sheppard sighed and pushed a hand through his short stubble.

"Apparently young human males fetch good prices these days. They had connection to the slave market."

The biotic felt his blood pressure drop, he became cold and his right hand shot up to his neck, feeling for his L2 implant and fearing another incision.

Sheppard leaned forward and gently pulled it away.

"They had no time, were planning on establishing a new route and new C-Sec would be on their heels. They had neither the material nor the time. Everything is okay; we came in time."

The Commander gave Kaidan a moment to recover from the fright before encouraging him: "Go on Alenko."

"By the time I woke up my migraine didn't allow me the use of biotics and the cold had already gotten to me as well. There is not much more to tell. He," he corrected himself" one of them, came in to take some pictures or a video and left again. I tried to free myself, but didn't succeed. Then you came."

Kaidan paused, looking up to his commander. It felt weird having to look up so much; usually they didn't stand much different in height.

"Thank you for that Commander."

He said, trying to express his heartfelt thanks.

His Commander smiled and reached out, gripping Kaidans elbow through the blankets with a firm, reassuring grip.

"You are one of us Kaidan. I could never leave any of you behind."

* * *

**A.N.:**

So, this was quite a story, I hope you enjoyed reading it, as I certainly had a lot of fun writing it.

Please, let me know what you liked, let me know what I could/should change, even just one or two words help, as I really want to improve my work.

A huge thanks to my amazing beta reader Andrithir, who contributed greatly to making this way better than it was.

I hope to see you soon, goodbye.


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